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Starting your fitness journey can be tricky and difficult. It can be even trickier trying to differentiate between myths, superstitions and reality surrounding the subject of fitness and health. I’m here to debunk some of those very common myths and misconceptions.
Nowadays social media plays a huge role in fitness and more specifically fitness myths. Pilates has skyrocketed in popularity online and has influenced many people to give it a shot. Although it’s great news that healthy habits are being promoted, new students coming from social media usually come with preconceived notions about this form of exercise. The biggest misconception about pilates is that it helps one achieve a “long” and “lean” look. New students usually believe they can “lengthen” their muscles with pilates. This is false because anatomically we cannot change the length of our muscle tissue. What these new students will be excited to learn about pilates instead is the way it will help them increase flexibility!
No pain, no gain! If it’s not hurting, it’s not working right? Well not exactly. While it is good to challenge ourselves or test our limits, it is not always the best and healthiest way to reach our fitness goals. What most people don’t know is that if we push ourselves too much while exercising we increase the chances of injury and set back our performance abilities in the long run. In fact, you may even develop a condition known as “overtraining syndrome”. This condition inhibits your body’s ability to recover properly, sleep, and overall affects your mood and immune system. Listen to your body, if you feel the need to slow down and take a break, do it!
This next myth is a myth I have personally fallen victim to. For many years I was hesitant to lift weights because I feared I would become too “big” and “bulky”. This is a common and negative misconception about lifting weights mainly amongst women who aim for a more “toned” look. It is just not true. Women naturally produce less testosterone, a hormone that’s responsible for muscle growth, than men. Even as a man, bulking requires an extreme amount of effort, frequently if not daily, lifting heavy, increasing weight and intense rep ranges. What I found most surprising about this topic was the fact that women can actually achieve that “toned” and “lean” look they long for by lifting weights while gaining strength!
